Rookie Watch: Steelers undrafted HBCU RB Alfonzo Graham Is Familiar With Adversity
Pittsburgh – Steelers general manager Omar Khan was the only NFL GM to attend the HBCU Combine earlier this draft season. A collection of NFL-caliber prospects auditioning for their opportunity to play in the National Football League.
Over the course of three days and 259 selections, only Jackson State University’s defensive back Isaiah Bolden was drafted. New England drafted Bolden with the 245th overall pick in the seventh round. It didn’t mean the labor Khan put into the HBCU Combine didn’t bear any fruit. Former Morgan State Bears running back Alfonzo Graham signed a three-year, $2,695000 contract with the Steelers.
“Yes, sir,” Graham said. “HBCU!”
Coming out of high school, Graham didn’t have the grades but had the ability. He followed the path of many players before him by going the JUCO route. Arizona Western was the first stop for this Baltimore, Maryland native.
The school announced on December 5th that the 2018 season would be the final year for Matador football. Graham had to relocate his talents and headed east to Independence Community College in Kansas. A place he found it hard to fit in.
Cultural changes, along with firings amongst the coaching staff, put Graham in another awkward position.
“I wasn’t really fitting in,” Graham said during his time at Independence. “Then I transferred again to Fullerton, which turned out to be a great idea in California. I received my AA degree. Once covid came, it just messed up a lot of recruiting. Just took my talents back home, back to Baltimore and Morgan State.”
The adversity Graham faced is something he was accustomed to growing up in Baltimore. Any less difficulty during his youth might have softened his grit and determination to overcome all obstacles.
“Where I come from in Baltimore,” Graham said. “A lot of people don’t make it out. So, me just being able to deal with that and keep my mental right to reach a level that I always dreamed of is really great.”
In 2021, his first year at Morgan State, Graham led the Bears in rushing yards (506) despite his 54 carries. Jabriel Johnson led the team with 125 carries but managed just 469 yards on the ground. Graham’s alarmingly impressive 9.4 yards per carry helped set the stage for his 2022 campaign.
The highly anticipated encore did not disappoint. Graham led the team and MEAC in both rushing attempts (196) and yards (1,150) in his final season. The two-year stint helped Graham to display his explosiveness, a trait he has had since his Pop Warner days scoring five or six touchdowns a game.
“I feel like I can score any time at any second in the game,” Graham said, sitting at his makeshift locker that is cleared out after the final cuts later this summer. “I’m a home run running back. Bring great ability to special teams. A team player and a great leader. I don’t have to lead in the front, I can lead in the back.”
Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are clearly two roster locks later this summer. When the Steelers traveled to Cincinnati in Week 1 of the 2022 season, Harris, Warren, Benny Snell Jr., and Derek Watt (fullback) were active. Two other running backs were on the practice squad (Anthony McFarland Jr. and Jason Huntley).
It leaves very little wiggle room for a player with a ton of wiggles in his athletic toolbox. Graham’s skill set is based on being elusive with the slot-receiver ability and capable of covering and returning both punts and kicks. The residue of Steelers' former third-round pick Dri Archer in 2014 resonates in Graham—an undersized but extraordinarily athletic player who could be used in a variety of ways. Archer never lived up to his draft status, but it doesn’t mean Pittsburgh still craves that type of weapon in their arsenal.
In the coming days, weeks, and undoubtedly months. We are going to find out if Khan and company feel Graham is worthy of retaining his roster destination with the Steelers. Pittsburgh is entering their third week of Organized Team Activities. The workouts on the South Side of Pittsburgh have provided glimpses of Graham’s athleticism. The limited chances of making a lasting impression on the staff are few and far between as reps are delegated amongst the running back group.
“It feels amazing,” Graham said of his chance to prove himself in Pittsburgh. “I’m living a dream. A lot of great guys here are high-level. Make me sharpen my mind every day to stay on my A-game. It’s amazing to be here. It’s a blessing, and I want to contribute any way I can to help them win the Super Bowl.”
Adversity and defying the odds have become Graham’s MO (modus operandi). One can only imagine his mode of operation will ramp up as his quest to make the 53-man roster intensifies.
